San Francisco – Today, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón will recognize National Crime Victims’ Rights Week by holding the 9th Annual Justice Awards. The District Attorney will highlight the accomplishments of his office’s Victim Services Unit and honor outstanding individuals and organizations that were instrumental in the prosecution of high profile cases from 2012.

“The annual Justice Awards is an opportunity to honor community members, prosecutors, investigators and police officers for their tireless work and dedication to justice,” said District Attorney George Gascón. “My office is committed to achieving justice for our city’s residents. We work tirelessly to hold offenders accountable and to protect and support crime victims.”

The entire team, including the survivors, of the Mission Rapist Case (People v. Frederick Dozier) is being honored for their hard work in securing a conviction for the brutal attacks on three women between June and December of 2011. Survivor One was attacked in the area of 24th Street and South Van Ness. Survivor Two was attacked in the area of 24th St. and Potrero Street. Survivor Three was attacked in the area of 24th and Fair Oaks Streets. All three female survivors were choked, brutally raped and robbed. On November 13th, 2012, a jury convicted Frederick Dozier of 25 felony counts including multiple counts of kidnapping, sexual assault and robbery. The defendant was sentenced to 373 years to life and was ordered to pay over $256,000 in restitution. The three survivors, Ms. S., Ms. W., and Ms. D., are being honored for their courage along with Assistant District Attorney Marshall Khine; Victim Advocates: Binh Trinh, Jerdine Clarke, Giles Feinberg; Trauma Recovery Center: Tara Croan, Carla Richmond; Nurse Practitioners: Diana Emerson, Kara Duffy, Lu Bolin; SFPD: Insp. Joseph Nannery, Insp. Narda Gillespie; Fair Oaks Community Coalition

Meredith Crawford is being honored for her courage in the People v. Greg Hayes case. Crawford dated the defendant for about three weeks in 2008. She broke off the relationship because he was possessive and erratic. The defendant harassed Crawford by sending her thousands of emails for almost 3 years despite no encouragement from her. After she filed a restraining order, he immediately violated it. His behavior became increasingly aggressive and threatening. The effect of this stalking took a toll on Ms. Crawford. She constantly looked over her shoulder when in public, changed her route home from work and searched the internet for traces of her identity that he might find. In all, Ms. Crawford filed 14 police reports. The defendant was convicted of 1 count of stalking, 4 counts of criminal threats and 90 counts of violating a domestic violence stay away order. The defendant was sentenced to 28 years.

Inspector Keane is being honored for his incredible work as the inspector in the San Francisco Police Department’s Stalking Task Force. Inspector Keane goes the extra mile to discover additional evidence which has a direct impact on the number of cases the District Attorney’s Office charges. The District Attorney’s Office charges almost 80% of the stalking cases Inspector Keane presents . He spends a lot of time with victims to make them feel safe. He conducted the investigation in People v. Greg Hayes.

The entire team behind the 1981 Cold Hit DNA Case (People v. Lance Ford) is being honored for their hard work and perseverance in securing a conviction for the murder of Annie Barcelon. On November 27, 1981, the victim’s body was discovered in the basement of her apartment building at Parkmerced Apartments. She had just come home from a party and had parked the car. When she didn’t come back right away, her roommate alerted security, who in turn found her body. Upon further investigation, it became clear that she had been strangled and raped. A cold-hit DNA identification of the defendant was made in 2004. The defendant was subsequently charged with murder and a special circumstance allegation that the murder was committed during the commission of rape. Annie Barcelon was only 24 years old at the time of the murder. Aaron Barcelon, Insp. Kevin Silas, Advocate Jean Hassett, and Assistant District Attorney Linda Allen will be honored today for their work achieving justice for Annie Barcelon.

“One of the ways we ensure crime victims receive the services they need to rebuild their lives is to remove barriers to seeking that support,” said District Attorney George Gascón. “We meet this challenge by providing victim services in community centers, where victims feel safe and comfortable and can meet with an advocate that speaks their native language.”

The District Attorney’s Office has expanded the reach of our Victim Services Division by holding office hours at facilities throughout the city. Due to this expansion of services beyond the walls of the Hall of Justice, the Victim Services Division served 5,410 victims and witnesses last year, a 12% increase.